Not-So-Deep Thoughts: Ohio State Edition
So my entire week has been at the mercy of a dreaded term paper which conveniently enough was due the weekend of the Ohio State game…awesome. As a result, there’s not going to be any full-fledged preview but rather some quick thoughts on tomorrow’s game:
Judging from what I’ve read on numerous Penn State and Ohio State blogs, both sides appear quite confident in their respective team’s chances. PSU fans will point out how erratic Pryor has been in the passing attack and how the Buckeyes lack a solid running game outside of Pryor’s scrambling abilities which will play perfectly into the hands of the PSU defense. Furthermore, PSU fans seem confident that the O-line will fare much better against this staunch OSU D-line than they did against Iowa’s, allowing Daryll Clark & Co. to do some serious damage to the Buckeye secondary. Inevitably, they will also point the fact that Ohio State lost to a crappy Purdue team and that Terrelle Pryor pulled a pseudo-Adam Morrison on the bench (see: crying on national TV) last year after throwing a game-clinching interception.
OSU fans on the other hand will point out PSU’s crap-tastic schedule and how they lost to the only respectable team they’ve played so far (Iowa). They will further harp on how “improved” Pryor is since the Purdue loss, as if racking up points against Minnesota and New Mexico State is a quality indicator of one’s quarterbacking ability. They will also point out their own stingy D-line and its capability to wreak havoc on the PSU O-line and thus get plenty of shots at Clark and whoever decides to carry the ball out of the backfield. They will also complain how ‘classless’ PSU fans are for poking fun at Pryor’s crying session.
Both sides have some legitimate points: OSU has looked lost offensively this year for the most part, and Pryor’s previous two solid passing performances against New Mexico State and Minnesota could’ve been performed by high school quarterbacks. He has yet to show that he can throw the ball well against a top-notch defense like he will be facing tomorrow and next week against Iowa. TP also is not going to be able to win the ballgame for his team on his legs alone, he’s going to need to Brandon Saine, Dan Herron, or some other tailback to step up. Neither tailback has looked impressive so far and I don’t see that changing this weekend against a PSU defense ranked 5th in the nation, giving up only 84 yards per game on the ground.
If the Buckeyes are going to pull out the “W” it’s going to be done through the defense creating some critical turnovers deep in PSU territory or even scoring a TD. That’s how Iowa got it done, after all, and it’s perhaps the greatest fear PSU fans have for tomorrow. If PSU’s O-line gets pushed around all day by the Buckeyes’ front four, you can rest assured it will be hell on Earth for Evan Royster and Daryll Clark as the running lanes will be clogged and Clark will have less than a millisecond to get off a pass before he’s forced to start running for his life. Tressel-ball will be alive and well as you can expect to see OSU try to win the field-position battle and attempt to force a critical PSU turnover deep in their own territory.
Additionally, the special teams have been notably cringe-worthy: While Jeremy Boone can put up punts as powerful as Pryor’s arm-punts, he is awfully slow at getting his punts off. Twice, this has led to disaster occurring in the form of a blocked punt, the first one which led to PSU’s only blemish on the season so far. For all the crap Colin Wagner has gotten this year, he’s actually done a decent job as placekicker. Sure, he rarely puts kicks into the end zone but he’s quietly strung together a 10-for-14 field goal performance this year with all but one of his misses being from 45+ yards out. The real culprit on special teams though is the lack of a return game of any kind, particularly in the two-man fair-catch calling formations the coaching staff has fallen in love with this year. Fortunately for PSU, the Buckeyes’ kicker Aaron Pettrey is out with an injury and their backup Devin Barclay is 1-for-3 on the year in field goals. I can’t say that making your starting kicking debut at Beaver Stadium is ideal for someone like Barclay…
Now, with all that being said, I’m expecting a higher scoring contest than last year despite the fact both JoePa and Tressel will get conservative with the playcalling. I see both teams forcing turnovers that set up short field position which they take advantage of. I also envision the PSU offense being able to the move the ball consistently enough and the PSU defense will force Pryor to try and beat them patiently with his arm (i.e. no giving up long-bombs for TDs) and if there’s one thing that Pryor seems to struggle with, it’s patience.
Pryor sure made a good point when he mentioned how everyone kills people, murders people, steals from others, whatever… Look for PSU to do the same to him this weekend….
Prediction: Penn State 24, Ohio State 14
[...] Fortunately for PSU, the Buckeyes’ kicker Aaron Pettrey is out with an injury and their backup Devin Barclay is 1-for-3 on the year in field goals. I can’t say that making your starting kicking debut at Beaver Stadium is ideal for …Continue [...]